WMU Theatre grad Jack Austin is ready to take his career to the next stage
WMU music theatre grad Jack Austin will take his final bow on the Miller Auditorium stage at commencement on Saturday, May 2.
Austin stands next to Sweeney Todd’s barber chair, the centerpiece of his final role at WMU.
Austin played a diverse range of characters in WMU Theatre productions, from an undersea creature to an Ivy League law student to a revenge-hungry barber. He says the range has given him a great foundation for his career in theatre and beyond.
“I would be happy to be doing any role that I was given at Western, but it’s very cool to be going out with a bang in a lead role,” says Austin, in the spotlight as Sweeney Todd.
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Climbing a beanstalk isn’t everyone’s idea of a first job after college, but when your name is Jack, it seems fitting.
Jack Austin will bring his theatrical magic to Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo for his first professional role as a college graduate—playing Jack of legume-leaping fame in “Into the Woods” May 28 through June 7.
“I played Jack in high school, actually, as one of the first roles I played, so I’m really excited to do it again,” says Austin, who will take his final bow at Western on Saturday, May 2, on stage at Miller Auditorium during Spring 2026 Commencement. It’s a full-circle moment for the music theatre performance grad. “I grew up going to Miller Auditorium and seeing the touring Broadway shows; Western has always been a huge part of my life.”
Like his character, Austin continues to take his career to new heights, and his time at Western has proved there’s no ceiling to his success. Arriving on campus in 2022 fresh off a performance with Broadway stars in New York and his Barn Theatre debut, he hit the ground running.
It’s so easy to have Bronco pride because of the community here and the great resources and the amazing faculty. Western is home.
“When I got here, it really felt like just the beginning,” says Austin. Over the past four years, he’s sharpened his performance skills in four different WMU Theatre productions, beginning in “On the Town” his freshman year, followed by “The SpongeBob Musical” sophomore year and “Legally Blonde” junior year. Most recently, he finished out his senior year as the title character in “Sweeney Todd.”
“I would be happy to be doing any role that I was given at Western, but it’s very cool to be going out with a bang in a lead role,” he says. “‘Sweeney Todd’ has challenged me in a lot of ways; the singing is something that I’ve never had an opportunity to showcase. It’s a very low part of my voice. And it’s a dark world, too—it’s very stylized. I’ve never done a show like this.”
Making connections
Austin’s lower register has been getting a workout this semester. In fact, it saved him during his performance at WMU’s music theatre showcase in New York City, where seniors in the program have the chance to show off what they’ve learned in a high-stakes audition for industry insiders.
“I lost my voice the day before the showcase, so I ended up making journeys around the city to different doctors and getting medicine. Thankfully, my voice came back a bit the next day, and I ended up switching my song last-minute to a lower register because that’s all my voice could really give at that point. I learned a lot from that experience, just having to roll with the punches.”
The extra effort and ability to adapt to the situation paid off.
“It’s such a great experience because there are so many different people at the showcase. There are agents, there are managers, there are casting directors who cast Broadway shows, there are composers,” says Austin. “I was able to connect with a bunch of different people in the industry, and it really felt natural being able to talk to those people and be performing in New York.”
Performing for industry heavyweights is nothing new for Austin; he got a crash course as an early fan favorite on NBC’s “The Voice.” While he didn’t make it to the finals of the show, he was able to work with music superstars Niall Horan and Michael Bublé and get national exposure.
“I learned so much from being on ‘The Voice,’ not only as a performer but also as a person. And I also learned so much about the industry,” he says. “Even though I didn’t make it to the end, seeing the way people showed up for me—both in my hometown of Battle Creek and at Western—is something I’ll never forget. The fact everyone was cheering me on no matter what happened meant a lot.”
Austin also credits Western’s supportive faculty for giving him the space to pursue his dreams.
“Jay Berkow, director of WMU’s music theatre performance program, has been an absolute rock in all of this,” he says. “I haven’t had a traditional college experience, and he understands and just listens and always makes it work, even when it’s not convenient for him.”
He likewise expressed his gratitude for Dr. Joan Herrington, chair of the Department of Theatre, who also helped him find a way to continue his studies while he was filming in Hollywood.
“It’s so easy to have Bronco pride because of the community here and the great resources and the amazing faculty,” he says. “Western is home.”
Making an impact
Outside of wowing audiences on stage and expanding his professional resume—he also won Rock Song of the Year for his original song “Get Away” at the Josie Music Awards in 2024 and Pop Vocalist of the Year in 2025—Austin has made time to give back to his community.
Freshman year, he launched Unity Theatre Company, a youth summer theatre program where he coaches dozens of kids to learn a full-length Broadway production from scratch in two weeks—from set design and choreography to singing and acting.
“I credit a lot of where I am today because of youth theatre and the camps that I did growing up. That’s where I really found my community and my voice and where I belong,” he says. “I really wanted to give back and help the next generation of artists in any way I can, and it’s been an absolute joy and one of the most fulfilling things that I’ve done in my career.”
As soon as Austin wraps up his post-graduation run in “Into the Woods,” he’ll shift into director mode and dive headfirst into preparations for Unity Theatre Company’s performance of Annie, which will run June 26-28 at Binda Performing Arts Center at Kellogg Community College.
“I have a lot of different hats that I wear as director of Unity Theatre Company, and I feel like it’s really set me up well to hit the ground running in the profession,” says Austin, who in the past three years has already seen many of the campers blossom and discover their love of the craft. “We’ve made a really, really great community. In fact, two of our campers are going to the Sutton Foster Awards this year, which is Michigan’s high school theatre awards, and if they win, they’ll go to New York. It’s so fulfilling to have been part of their journey.”
Austin plans to continue his own journey once camp wraps and move to New York City in August, where there’s a strong and well-established community of Bronco theatre alumni to help him get started. He’s open to any and all opportunities that await him, and he’s grateful for the time he’s had at Western to prepare him for that next step.
“The community at Western is something extraordinary,” says Austin. “You have a built-in family here, and I’ve definitely felt that.
“Over the past four years, I’ve felt even more artistically inspired and creative, whether that be experiences I had here at Western or just in life. Four years is a lot of time; you do change a lot, and I’m definitely a different person than I was when I came here—for the better.”
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